In Cambodia, a rise in racist attacks against people of Vietnamese heritage has caused alarm from human rights groups. The United Nations and other groups are pointing the finger at the country's opposition leader, Sam Rainy.

Transcript

ELEANOR HALL: To Cambodia now, where prime minister Hun Sen is facing his toughest opposition since coming to power almost 30 years ago.

Anti-government activists are facing fierce police resistance, and a lockdown on protests is adding to the pressure.

But now the United Nations is raising the alarm about a rise in racist attacks against people of Vietnamese heritage and human rights groups are pointing the finger at the country's opposition leader, as James Oaten reports.

JAMES OATEN: Sok Minh runs a small cafe on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, avoiding the anti-government demonstrations that have raged in the capital for months.

But his small business was suddenly caught up in the conflict in January, when rioters stormed his shop, chanting "Yuon", a derogatory term used against the Vietnamese community.

SOK MINH (translation): When they came in, they said they must destroy the Yuon's shop.

JAMES OATEN: Sok Minh was not at the cafe at the time of the attack, but his Khmer staff member, Chhorn Chanthy, was.

CHHORN CHANTHY (translation): They destroyed everything with stones. Three of us went to hide in the room. After a while, I came out and pleaded with them that I am Khmer. Don't beat me.

JAMES OATEN: Sok Minh struggles to understand the attackers' motivation.

SOK MINH (translation): I am just an ordinary businessman. I don't pick fights with anyone. I never make anyone angry with me. Now this. Now they destroyed my shop and I've lost everything.

JAMES OATEN: Cambodia has a contentious history of land grabs and deforestation, resulting in communities being displaced with little to no compensation.

Much of the land is converted into rubber plantations and the company that's benefited the most is the state-owned Vietnam Rubber Group, which owns at least 130,000 hectares - 13 times the legal limit.

It's an issue of great concern to Cambodia's opposition leader Sam Rainsy who accuses prime minister Hun Sen's administration of selling out the country's interests.

SAM RAINSY: We are concerned about deforestation, about farmers losing their farmland.

JAMES OATEN: But in his criticism of Vietnamese companies, many say that Mr Rainsy has overstepped the mark. Among them, Virak Ou, of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights.

VIRAK OU: I think because race and anti-Vietnamese sentiment is high, the opposition is just taking the most convenient position.

JAMES OATEN: The political point-scoring has prompted a strong rebuke from the United Nation's special rapporteur, professor Surya Subedi.

SURYA SUBEDI: Cambodian citizens of Vietnamese origin came to see me with their own grievances, saying that they feel a bit insecure and they feel racially harassed and partly discriminated against.

JAMES OATEN: Sam Rainsy again.

SAM RAINSY: Some of my statements have been quoted out of their context. I think that people will understand the position of Cambodian patriots.

JAMES OATEN: Some of the victims of the alleged racist attacks have openly discussed their experiences, but many are still too afraid to speak.

Virak Ou, of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights says the persecution must stop.

VIRAK OU: By referring to them as Yuon and wanting to chase them out from the country, claiming that they are the culprits of all the evil in this country, I think that's unfairly targeting the ethnic group.

JAMES OATEN: The United Nations is expected to release its latest report on the state of Cambodian democracy in July.